# Navigating the Path Back: A Course for Medical Students Returning from Leave and Their Outcomes

## TL;DR

A course helps medical students returning from leave succeed academically, especially those with unplanned absences.

## Contribution

A new course was developed and shown to reduce academic risks for students returning after unplanned leaves.

## Key findings

- Course participants performed similarly to traditional students in academic outcomes.
- Unplanned leave students who took the course had fewer post-clerkship graduation delays.
- Unplanned leave students without the course faced higher attrition and academic risks.

## Abstract

Leaves of absence (LOA) from medical school increase student stress and academic risk. We developed a course to support students returning to the clerkship year after a leave. The course was evaluated favorably by students and was reported to effectively prepare them for their clerkship year. We compared academic outcomes for course participants, students who took a LOA but did not participate in RICM, and traditional students. Planned LOA participants performed similarly to traditional students. However, students with unplanned LOAs faced higher academic risks and attrition, with course participation being associated with a reduction in post-clerkship delays in graduation.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02345-4.